Farewell, John Lewis.

Dear John Lewis,

Leaving my first english class of my college experience, we must also end the experience with the findings and the message of your book. On December 4, Dr. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. After more and more marches were put into action, more and more people started bringing their toothbrushes with them just in case they had ended up in jail. March 1965, a march was put together across a bridge, and was led by you, of course. In this reading, you get beaten. It was difficult to try to understand how that would even feel, how it would affect your life, your pride, your experience. Dr. King goes to visit you in the hospital. It soon became very known as Bloody Sunday. Not even long after that, 3 ministers were attacked by  Klansmen. President Johnson had decided to stand up and give a speech involving him admitting that the country had a problem. Weeks after that, a march began to the capitol. The Voting Rights Act was then signed in 1965 into law. 

Mr. Lewis, I am terribly sorry for what you had to go through in order to get a step closer to your dream. Reading about your experiences have shown me that the world is a much cruler place than anyone could have imagined. I’m grateful that you had a goal to end racism, and that you took the steps to achieve something that would impact history. 

As the new generation starts molding into the world, we can make sure you actions haven’t gone to waste by educating others about your book, and about the problems in the world. We need to open up the minds of closed minded people. We need to make sure that your work wasn’t for nothing. 

Sincerely, 

GSU Student Mo Ta

 

You’re a Regular In Jail, John.

Dear John Lewis,

To summarize what I read for this March Book Club meeting, it was brought to my attention that it was quite difficult for you to get through his trip to Africa, just to return back home to the multiple problems he left in the states. The SNCC is failing, plummeting to destruction. Police officers have been arrested for murders, but they’ve been released under the word of a racist judge, Harold Cox. The marches started and many people began getting arrested. The second march, people were arrested once again. They started carrying toothbrushes to show that they weren’t afraid to go to jail. The word got around about the marches, and their numbers started to grow. You kept getting arrested over and over again at these protests. Officer Clark was one of the rude and violent officers that were going against the protests, and three days later after running kids to a jailhouse, he collapsed from chest pains. Everyone wished him a speedy recovery. Yet, he still had the nerve to come out just as rude as he went in. 

This chapter made me feel like I got deeper and deeper into the story. It made me angry, that there are really people out here that are like this, who are so close-minded towards situations like these. I wanted to say that I was shocked when those police officers who were convicted of murder were released, but it’s not so surprising. Issues like these still exist today. White privilege is still a major problem in our society. It’s crazy that people have this amount of hate to control their minds.

 

Freedom is What We Wanted

Dear John Lewis,

I hope that you know that your book is a refreshing new way to get students to understand the importance of these social issues. These subjects are particularly heavy, especially for people who are not used to seeing or hearing the stories of people that go through these tragedies. You were in jail during Freedom Day. People were beat for trying to provide food and water to people who were protesting. I can’t imagine having to witness it, or even go through it myself. The following assassination of President Kennedy was a major inconvience for civil rights activists. The COFO meetings gave a little hope, and created a movement culture! Reading through these pages only gets more intense. The disappearance of the three kids, was the most heartbreaking event that has happened so far. They were found, what was left of them was found, and my stomach dropped. 

I’m wondering if you knew that your book was going to be one of the textbooks used for freshmen college students in 2019. Do you know that you’re spreading awareness? I think it’s great. I know that we don’t have the same idea about racism ending, but I do enjoy that you’re doing whatever you can in order for it to be rid of one day. It’s inspiring. Today, we’re still doing protests, and trying to spread positive awareness for people who want to be educated or need to be educated on these issues. I hope one day, your goal comes true. Reading this book further on, it gives me a little more hope that there are people out there that have the same drive as you. Reading your book gives me more drive to try and help you reach your goal. I hope it will be brought to light.

Sincerely,

Mo Ta

 

Racism Today, Can We End it Tomorrow?

Dear John Lewis,

In this animated book, it sets the tone with the bombing of the church. It then goes onto several cases of unfair treatment and injustice of people’s stories. The book calls out racism, and brings Martin Luther King Jr. to recite his sympathy for the “unoffending, innocent, and beautiful” lives that were lost. A flashback to January 20, 2009 is shown with our president, Mr. Barack Obama, and John Lewis. Following into the next chapter, I think it will show more of the tragic stories that have happened over the past years of our generations. 

Starting out into the book, I felt the emotions of the families and friends that had lost their loved ones. Going along with the pictures, makes it seem more real. This happened. I’m wondering why you, John, had decided to start it off with no sugar coating. I’m asking myself, what you think the significance of getting straight to the point of these stories as soon as we read the first page, meant to you. Did you want students to realize that this is life? Something that doesn’t stop for you, even when tragic and surreal events like this happen to us?

Today, racism exists. It’s sickening to the human stomach, even thinking about it. John Lewis, you think that one day, we can have a world without racism. We need people in the world to think like you do. We need the hope. However, I don’t think we can ever rid the world 100% of it. It seems very narcissistic to say. We go to college and work meeting new people with new beliefs. We learn from each other, we understand a little more of each other. We can start by individuals, to work towards seeing each other as human beings, not by pigmentation.

Yours Truly,

Mo Ta

Cultural awareness, respect, empathy, and collaboration!

OUR VALUES